Regional Youth Adaptation Forums
Y oung people have the potential to accelerate adaptation action and enable effective and just adaptation policies. In 2023, GCA and the CEO’s Youth Advisory Panel organized six regional Youth Adaptation Forums across the world to raise global ambition, advance national policies and drive adaptation solutions. In 2024, GCA is organizing six Youth Adaptation Forums based on the adaptation priorities identified during the 2023 Forums: Young Women Leadership for Adaptation, Water, Climate-resilient Agriculture, Nature-based Solutions, Youth Entrepreneurship, Adaptation Jobs, and Finance and Locally Led Adaptation.
Driving action across six regions of the world, the forums rallied young people around the adaptation agenda ahead of the annual global Youth Dialogue on Adaptation, the landmark convening for the youth adaptation movement leading into COP28. The outcomes of the forums and Youth Dialogue promoted youth perspectives in international climate decision-making processes, including the Africa Climate Summit and COP28.
Key objectives:
- Promote the perspectives of young people in adaptation policies including the Global Goal on Adaptation and National Adaptation Plans to advance inclusive and equitable adaptation decision-making and action by bringing together experts, policy-makers, and young people.
- Catalyze innovative ideas and adaptation action in young people by featuring African youth leadership around the world, including the African YouthADAPT winners.
- Establish and strengthen regional connections between young people and youth organizations to scale adaptation actions and strengthen young people’s adaptation advocacy activities by uniting young people for the adaptation agenda.
Timeline:
- Pacific: virtual on 22nd March 2023 on the occasion of World Water Day
- Asia: virtual on 26th April 2023
- Americas: virtual on 30th May
- Europe: in Bonn, Germany on 8th June 2023 during the UNFCCC SB58
- Africa: in Dakar, Senegal in June 2023
- MENA: virtual on 11th August prior to International Youth Day
- Annual Youth Dialogue: in Nairobi, Kenya on 3rd September immediately prior to the Africa Climate Action Summit
The Regional Youth Adaptation Forums built on GCA’s flagship consultation process that engaged over 2,300 young people from around the world in 2022 and raised momentum for the ‘African COP’. The 2022 Regional Youth Adaptation Forums contributed to fostering an intergenerational dialogue between young people and decision-makers by taking place on the margins of international convenings including the triennial World Water Forum in Senegal, the UNFCCC SB56, and the UN High-Level Political Forum, and by involving key international stakeholders including representatives of the COP26 and COP27 Presidencies. The outcomes of the consultations were presented to global leaders at the Africa Adaptation Summit, and at COP27 in the report ‘Youth Engagement with the Global Goal on Adaptation’.
The 2022 regional Youth Adaptation Forums aimed to:
- Identify youth priorities and recommendations on the Global Goal on Adaptation
- Promote youth participation in adaptation policy and decision-making processes
- Accelerate adaptation action by showcasing youth-led climate-resilient solutions including the YouthADAPT Solutions Challenge winners
Key partners:
In 2021, the GCA’s Youth Adaptation Network hosted monthly Youth Adaptation Dialogues to provide a platform for youth to lead the way in adaptation action. The Dialogues focused on topics such as the role of education for locally-led action, climate-resilient cities, and gender and climate change. The intergenerational dialogues brought together various stakeholders, including youth activists and experts.